De Vries was sacked by Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko last week after a disappointing first half to the 2023 campaign.
His axing is the latest in the long line of mid-season swaps by Red Bull, with the Dutchman being replaced by Daniel Ricciardo from this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
PLUS: The five challenges between Ricciardo and Perez's Red Bull F1 seat
Hamilton, who worked with de Vries when he was a Mercedes reserve driver in 2021 and 2022, made it clear that he felt the move to replace him before the summer break was premature.
Asked if he felt that de Vries was dropped too early, Hamilton said: “Yes. But that's how Red Bull do it.”
Pushed on whether there was an aspect of it being how F1 works, in being tough on rookies, Hamilton added: “You can say that's how Red Bull works.”
While Hamilton felt that Red Bull's move had been hasty, he maintained faith that de Vries' racing career was far from over despite the setback.
“I was definitely surprised to see the decision for poor Nyck,” said Hamilton.
“He's such a talented young man, and such a nice guy as well. I think the future is still bright for him and he will have lots of great options for the future.”
Source: Autosport